“Delegates have to learn to be responsible, because they were selected to deliberate over issues of national importance, which require the attention of everyone.”
Delegates at the ongoing national confab who have made a habit of absenting themselves from plenary without valid reasons will not receive their allowances henceforth, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, Vice Chairman of the confab has warned.
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Speaking on Thursday, Akinyemi said it was important to draw the attention of members who had been disregarding the plenary to desist from the act. He gave them till Monday to start attending or forfeit their allowances.
“We don’t want to be treating delegates as secondary school pupils,” he said.\
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“As from Monday, delegates who don’t show up will not be paid sitting allowance unless on medical reasons. We want you to know that this because we are all adults and we must be seen to be responsible.”
He conveyed the displeasure of government with the absence of more than half of delegates at the plenary, saying the sight of empty seats on televisions is a great disservice to the work of serious delegates.
“It is shown live and this is not good,” he said.
“They [the government] are now reminding us that there are government rules, and that when we are being paid sitting allowance, it must be seen to be so.
“Delegates have to learn to be responsible, because they were selected to deliberate over issues of national importance, which require the attention of everyone.”
Each delegate at the confab receives monthly allowance of N4 million per month. By the end of the confab next month, the delegates would have received a whopping N16 million each, following the one-month extension approved for the confab by President Goodluck Jonathan in May.
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